Tuesday, November 16, 2004

Bowden Stinks!

The Major League Baseball franchise scheduled to move to Washington next season made the first major splash of the free agent period today, signing third baseman Vinny Castilla and shortstop Cristian Guzman. In doing so, the former Montreal Expos quickly filled what general manager Jim Bowden had identified two of the team's glaring holes and, in Castilla, giving the club a power-hitting threat for the middle of the lineup.

Castilla, who played last year with the Colorado Rockies, signed a two-year deal worth $6.2 million, according to a source close to the negotiations. The move is the first significant deal of the offseason for Bowden, who was hired Nov. 2 on an interim basis.

Guzman, 26, has played his entire six-year career with the Minnesota Twins. He signed a four-year deal. Terms were not disclosed.

I don't even know where to begin. Guzman would've been acceptable as a 1 or 2 year signing, but four years? I hope the last two are option years. Castilla? I don't even want to get into it. He's turning 38 and you sign him to a 2-year deal? At least Batista was young. Sometimes you get what you wish for, but you wish you had the old wish back.

I can in some way stomach the Guzman signing, but the Castilla signing makes me nauseous. Bowden actually tried to sell the signing as ... well he hit 21 HR on the road last year. What he failed to mention was he batted a robust .218 with a .774 OPS on the road. I am going to register www.firebowden.com today.